1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method for image processing as well as a device and a method for file preparation. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device and a method for image processing as well as a device and a method for file preparation in case of printing a file directly without converting it to PDL (Page Description Language) data.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a document file is transmitted from a PC (personal computer) to a printer to be printed, the document file is normally converted by a printer driver installed on the PC into a printing data described in a PDL such as PostScript® and is transmitted as a printing job. In this case, a printing setup concerning the document file is prepared by the printer driver and is included in the printing job as a header.
On the other hand, the direct printing is known as a method for transferring a document file directly to a printer for printing without converting it into a PDL data by a printer driver. For example, a technology has been proposed wherein a client device transfers a PDF (Portable Document Format) file directly to a printer for printing using a Web browser (Unexamined Publication No. JP-A-2002-264440). This not only makes the printer driver's processing unnecessary but also alleviates the PC's load.
However, in the direct printing, the printing setup by the printer driver is not performed and the document file is received directly by a printer. Therefore, it has been impossible to conduct a printing setup individually for each document file to be printed. As a result, it has been a problem for the user being unable to adjust the printing setup for each document file, thus being unable to achieve desired printing results in case of direct printing.